The Japanese toymaker Sanrio, creators of Hello Kitty, have told the truth about their character. They said Hello Kitty is not a cat. This news came because of publicity for a new Hello Kitty exhibition. Sanrio mailed exhibition organisers to say: "Hello Kitty is not a cat. She is a little girl. She is a friend….She's never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature." Sanrio added: "Kitty is a bright little girl with a heart of gold."

Hello Kitty has been amazingly popular since it started in 1974. She appears on everything, from chopsticks to airplanes. A Japanese carmaker even sold a Hello Kitty car. It had Kitty upholstery, a Kitty speedometer and a Kitty-shaped gear stick. Sanrio said the character represents cuteness and has no mouth because she speaks with her heart. A rapper tweeted about the news, saying: "This is worse than finding out Pluto is not a planet."